"You shall not play another round beneath this roof to-night," said Wilkins, resolutely. "If you do not vacate this place within five minutes, I will turn every one of you out of doors by main force." "I'd like to see you try that game once," replied Quirk, instantly, bending suddenly forward, as if to grasp the book upon the table. Before he could touch it, Guly had caught it in his own hands. "This was my mother's Bible. Never shall a defiling finger touch its sacred pages. Oh! Arthur, if there is any brotherly love left in your heart for me, go with me to-night. You well know there is no fear of reproof from me--I could not give it, if I would." Arthur rose resolutely, swept the gold into his pocket, and took his brother's hand. "Zounds, Pratt! you won't leave us so!" "Your five minutes are up," said Wilkins, firmly, lifting his foot and turning the table, with its contents, over upon the floor. "Ten thousand devils!" shouted Quirk, madly; and catching up the neck of a broken bottle, he hurled it fiercely at Wilkins, who was approaching him. It glanced--turned aside by the head-clerk's self-defending hand--and struck Guly upon the temple. With a faint moan he sank bleeding to the floor, clasping his mother's Bible to his breast. CHAPTER XXV. "Rather will Ellen Douglas dwell A votress in Maronan's cell-- Rather through realms beyond the sea, Seeking the world's cold charity, An outcast pilgrim will she rove-- Than wed the man she cannot love." Scott. "Who rang the bell, Minny?" inquired Della one morning, as she sat looking over a richly-bound volume of engravings, a recent gift from her father. "General Delville, Miss." "Has mamma gone into the drawing-room?" "Not yet, Miss; she is preparing to do so." "Well, Minny, do you go to her, and tell her that Della says, please not go in this morning, she wishes to see General Delville alone." "Oh, Miss Della, she would never consent to your seeing him alone in the world. I'm certain she won't; and there is scarcely any use of asking her." "Do as I tell you, Minny dear." Minny went out. Since the evening of the party, the General had been very assiduous in his attentions; waiting upon Mrs. Delancey and her daughter to concerts, operas, theatres, and every other place which he believed would be interesting and entertaining to them. His bouquets for Miss Della were always selected with the greatest care and taste, and had the fair recipient been possessed of sufficient patience to study out their language, she would have found the General by no means ignorant of that delicate manner of expressing thoughts which lose their chief beauty by being spoken.